Fools Rush In
by DaniD32
Summary: Vegas Showgirl Paige Carlisle is in Charming looking for a certain blond bad boy. She planned to get what she was needed from him then be on her way back to Vegas to get on with the rest of her life. Well that was the plan anyway...Jax/oc
1. Prologue

**OK guys, here's a story that I'm excited about. It's my second attempt at a SOA story, but this one I actually have completly outlined. YES...I HAVE A PLAN PEOPLE. lol I also have several chapter already written and edited, so I'm ahead of the game on this one. I'm still working on ALL WE ARE, but I had this in my head and so far it's just flowed out.**

**This takes place after season Two. It skirts around what may happen in season Three with Abel's kidnapping and other events. It's really mostly just a love story between my OC and Jax with a little drama thrown in. Let me know what you guys think!**

**Happy reading! Dani**

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Prologue

The wind blew through her long red hair as Paige Carlisle drove down the highway with the top down on her 2008 Ford Mustang GT convertible. The ride from Vegas had been pleasant enough barring the dry desert sun which was hell on her sensitive fair skin. Last time she had stopped she made sure to apply another layer of sunscreen, but despite her best efforts she could feel her shoulders beginning to blister.

According to the GPS she would reach her destination within fifteen minutes. She was ready to get there and get what she had to do over with, it had been put off long enough. Then after her task was completed she was going to find a hotel room and leave in the morning. Quick in and out, no muss no fuss.

Sure enough within the time the GPS predicted, she came upon a sign that proclaimed, "Charming, California Population 14,679 "Our Name Says It All". Soon after that she began seeing evidence of the township until she ended up on Charming's Main Street which seemed to run straight through the center of town.

It was time to make a stop.

After pulling into a small Mom and Pop's Diner, Paige first used the restroom then sat down in one of the booths to order a burger and fries. The people in the diner just seemed like normal everyday folk, and that was nice. After living in Las Vegas for the last 5 years she was not used to normal anymore. People in Vegas were generally strange, and she worried sometimes that some of that had rubbed off on her.

She sat there and soaked up the slow, easygoing atmosphere as she took her time finishing the last of her food. The burger had been really good and she had been hungry. She waited for the waitress to come back around with the check, then it would be time to get a little info.

After placing the bill on the table face down, the older waitress who looked like she had being doing her job for more years than she would care to admit asked, "Can I get you anything else sugar?"

Tucking a stray piece of dark red hair back behind her ear Paige looked up at the woman and said, "No ma'am I'm done, but I do wonder if you could help me with some information."

She watched the older woman's face morph from open and friendly to cautious and suspicious within a split second.

"Well, that depends on the information you want." The waitress put her hands on her hips and waited.

"I'm looking for a Jackson Teller. Do you know where I might find him?"

The waitress stared at Paige before finally drawling, "Yeah...I might know a Jackson Teller." Then she pinned her with a hard look. "Look honey, I hope your not planning on taking any trouble his way if I tell ya where you can find him."

Rushing to reassure the woman the redhead said, "No, no, believe me he'll be glad about my visit." '_At least I'm 99.9 % sure._' she thought to herself wryly.

Smirking, the waitress who's name tag read Janice snorted, "Don't get ahead of yourself doll, your a pretty thing for sure but you still might have to stand in line for that boy."

A little put off by the woman's insinuation she spit out, "It's not like th....oh whatever, can you tell me where to find him or not?"

Turns out the diner was just down the road from Teller-Marrow where Jax supposedly worked. '_Well his last name is on the sign, so that's gotta be good._' Paige thought as she parked in front of garage office.

Taking a deep breath to squelch the nervous churn in her stomach, she reached for her purse and the thick manila envelope that had been sitting under it. After a quick check in the mirror to make sure she didn't have any ketchup from lunch on her face or that her hair wasn't a complete birds nest after riding so long with the top down, she got out of the car and strode toward the small office that sat adjacent to the garage. In her peripheral she noticed that a couple of the mechanics working in a near by service bay were watching her progress from her car to the office.

The sign on the door said for customers to come in if unlocked, so Paige tried to door instead of knocking. She walked through the doorway and took in the tiny office and it's only occupant before shutting the door behind her. A woman was sitting at a desk engrossed in what appeared to be some type of paperwork. She had dark hair and was a fairly handsome older woman somewhere in her early fifties if one had to venture a guess.

Still not looking up the woman barked out startling Paige a bit, "Yeah? Can I help you?"

"I hope so...I'm looking for Jackson Tellar. Does he work here?"

The woman finally looked up and gave Paige a steady, appraising look. "Who wants to know?" She asked.

Straitening her shoulders back a bit Paige replied, "I do. I just need him for five minutes or so and I'll be out of his hair."

Chuckling, the woman reached over and grabbed a pack of cigarettes that had been sitting on the edge of her desk. Taking one out she lit it up and took a deep pull of smoke before saying, "Look honey, if you want to speak to Jax your going to have to tell me who you are and what the hell you want."

This was not good. Paige had no intention of going into who she was or what she wanted with Jax with anyone other than him, but it was clear to see that this woman was going to be stubborn. She quickly decided that her best bet was to stand her ground but try and stay polite.

"I'm afraid that this has got nothing to do with you ma'am, I just need to speak to Jax please." She glanced anxiously out the small office window in the vain hope that the man in question would suddenly appear.

Stubbing out her cigarette in agitation the older woman rose to her feet, which brought her just an inch or two shy of the tall red head and said,"First of all don't call me ma'am, my name is Gemma. Second, anything to do with my SON Jax has everything to do with me, you got that?" At the word Son, Paige's eyes had widened in surprise. Gemma continued, "So...once again I'm gonna' ask you. What do you want with Jax?"

'_Oh shit...his Mom? Are you kidding me_?_ That is really just my luck_." She thought frantically as her mind raced to figure out how to handle this new development. Retreat now and figure out a new game plan for later. She figured that was the only option she had left as she tightened her grip on her purse and slowly began backing toward the door.

"Maybe it's best I…..come back another time." She stammered as she groped for the door handle behind her back. Unfortunately before she could make actual contact with the knob the door was suddenly thrust forward from the outside pushing straight into her back causing her to stumble forward.

"Not so fast." Gemma said sarcastically to Paige before she looked to the person now coming through the door. It was a big, dark skinned bald guy who easily stood a good couple of inches over six feet, and was clearly in very good shape. All in all he looked like the type you wouldn't want to mess with.

"Go back out and shut the door behind you Happy." Gemma told the guy, then added, "Stay outside the door and don't her leave till I say so." Nodding wordlessly the big guy did as she asked without question, firmly closing the door behind him as he exited the room.

Then the two women were again left alone in the small quiet office, just a desk situated in between them.

Gemma once again leveled a flinty look at the younger woman, "Alright, you're not leaving without telling me what you want with Jax, so just spill."

"Look, I know your his Mom but this is a private matter." Paige tried again lamely. She doubted that Gemma would respect her reasoning but it was worth a shot.

"I hate to burst your bubble sweetheart, but Jax doesn't care enough about most women to have private matters with them. Just tell me why your here and then we'll see about you talking to Jax."

Then Gemma spotted the manila envelope that the younger woman had been clutching and asked, "What's that? Wait, your not here to serve him papers are ya?"

Paige chewed on her bottom lip nervously at the mention of the envelope, clutching it just a bit tighter in her arm. She met Gemma's intense glare head on and said, "No, I'm not serving him papers...not in the way you think." She sighed wearily then continued, "This is really just something that doesn't need to be a big deal."

Holding out her hand toward the envelope Gemma said sternly, "I'll be the judge of that. Give em' here."

Paige knew that she was backed into a corner now, quite literally. She just hoped that Jackson's Mom would keep her cool. She seemed a little high strung to her. Reminded her a little of Mamma Grace back in Vegas. Usually thoughts of the surrogate Mother figure who had taken Paige under her wing five years before made her smile, but the situation was a little too intense for smiling of any kind.

Reluctantly handing over the thick packet, she watched as Gemma sat back down in her vacated seat and began the task of opening it. Bracing herself for whatever reaction that might come, Paige took a seat situated at the end of the desk and waited.

Taking out the papers, Gemma began reading through the first page and froze. She looked up at the attractive red head sitting on the other side of her desk in shock.

"You're fucking kidding me."

Paige just lifted her eyebrows as if to say, "See I told you so."

"Your Paige?" Gemma asked.

Nodding her head in an affirmative she watched as Gemma drop the papers back onto the desk and just sat there a minute absorbing the information. Finally the older woman reached over and opened one of her bottom desk drawers. She rummaged around a moment until she came back up with a half full bottle of Tequila and two shot glasses.

"So Paige..let's chat." Gemma slowly drawled, carefully pouring first one shot glass full and then the other. She slid one of the shots toward the younger woman before picking up the other and throwing back the shot in one gulp before thumping the empty glass back down on the desk.

"So tell me...how the hell did you end up married to Jax?"


	2. Chapter 1

**Just a quick note: This is the first story I have ever written in the 3rd person narrative. I usually go with first person narrative. So far I really like writing like this. If it seems awkward at times or I slip up I apologize in advance. Remember, I'm learing as I go. **

**Happy reading!**

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Chapter 1

_Months earlier_

"Hot Damn girl, you were on tonight!"

Trina was Paige's best friend and coworker. Each woman was peering into a lit mirror busy taking off stage make-up and costumes. They had just finished preforming in the show "Folies Bergere" at the "Tropicana" Hotel and Casino. It had the distinction of being one of the longest running Show Girl acts in Las Vegas.

Paige grinned back at Trina, "Why thank you my dear, you had a great night too. Though I noticed the Can Can outfit was kicking your ass a little."

Trina grimaced, "Yeah well I'm gonna' talk to Cal about that. It's ridiculous to put me out on the line like that when he knew that my ruffles were too long. I just about took Jessica out when we were doing rotation kicks on the stairs."

Cal was the Wardrobe Master and in charge of making sure that all the costumes fit the performers well and were fully functional. That was especially true for the Show Girls. Wardrobe malfunctions could spell disaster when you had remarkably tall women dancing and performing high kicks in seven inch stiletto heels.

"Yeah and then I would have had to kick your ass." Joked Jessica as she breezed into the dressing room. The six foot tall showgirl was still wearing her costume from the final act, headdress and all.

Hanging up her own costume on the nearby rack labeled with her name, Paige wondered what was on the agenda for her friends tonight. "So guys, schedule says I don't have to walk to floor tonight. Thought I'd go out and get a drink. Any takers?"

"Hell yeah!" Grinned Trina as she pulled on her robe. "I'm definitely up for that."

Jessica frowned, "Damn. I've got to walk the floor till at least twelve."

Walking the floor consisted of dressing in one of the show costumes and making rounds around the Hotel and Casino floor. As the manager Phil lectured during every staff meeting, it added to the experience of the Tropicana guests to mingle with real live Vegas Show Girls, and of course take pictures that they can have as souvenirs.

Walking toward the shower room Paige said over her shoulder, "Call us when your done and we'll meet up. I'm sure you'll need a drink after being groped by the high rollers."

"K..I'll do that." Jessica called back rolling her eyes.

In easy agreement, Paige and Trina decided to go to one of their favorite hang out spots. "The Cellar" was owned an operated by one of their close friends Rick Chase, and both women always seemed to have a good time in the safe low key environment that the bar provided. Many locals went there to just have a drink and get away from the usual flashy Vegas fanfare.

Many a male and even some female heads turned as the two friends made their way together out of the Tropicana toward their destination which was well within walking distance. They made a striking pair, both statuesque with Paige standing at 5'10 and a half and Trina at 5'9.

Trina wore all white, and that only served to accent her beautiful light cocoa tanned skin. Long black hair fell in layered waves all the way past her hips, truly looking for all the world like pure black silk. Her short skirt showed off her long smooth limbs and when she walked she exuded a confidence that one could only be born with.

In contrast Paige was as light as Paige was dark. She wore a classy green wrap dress and high heels that displayed her lithe body to perfection. Long creamy legs that went on for miles were only eclipsed by the crowing glory of her rich auburn red curls as they cascaded like a waterfall down her back. If Trina was a study of confidence then surely Paige would represent grace.

Walking in the door at The Cellar, Paige and Trina went strait to the bar area where they found Rick busy working. He was filling drink orders at one end of the bar while another bartender was covering the other end. It was busy night at The Cellar.

When Rick spotted the two women he came around the bar to give them both a friendly hug. Paige thought he was a good looking guy in a Mediterranean sense, all delicious mocha skin and intense dark eyes. Well built with solid muscle he was a little on the short side. When standing in front of her the top of his head just barely skimmed her nose.

"You guys off work already?" He asked as he hustled back behind the bar.

Finding a couple of empty bar stools the girls sat down. "Phil didn't put us on schedule to walk the floor tonight, so here we are!" Trina grinned. "Unfortunately Jessica was on, but she might try and join us later."

At the mention of Jessica's name Rick's eyes lit up. It was a well known fact in their friendship circle that Rick was head over heels for the six foot amazon. It was a source of amusement for both Paige and Trina, and they loved to razz Jessica about it every chance they got. Just the thought of the two together, him as short as she was tall was almost laughable. Only thing was Rick didn't think it was funny. He was dead serious about his crush on the beautiful Show Girl, and swore that they would end up getting married and living happily ever after if she would just give him a shot.

"Ahh that's good to know. I'll keep and eye out for her." He said as he swiftly made both women their favorite drink, then sat it down in front of each of each of them.

Soon Rick had to get back to work to serve the actual paying customers. He constantly refused to accept money from any of his close female friends, always a complete gentleman to a fault. Most of Paige and Trina's drinks ended up being bought by admirers anyway, and Rick often joked that they were actually pulling money in for him just by being eye candy for his bar.

Having spotted a small group of people that they both knew, Trina jerked her head and said, "Come on, let's go mingle."

Grabbing her Jack and Coke, Paige followed her friend over to the table of familiar faces, and before long she was relaxed and having a good time.

As the night wore on a few men had approached Paige, but none caught her eye enough to inspire more interest than friendly politeness. She wasn't actively looking for a man right now anyway, especially after her last relationship had ended less than ideally.

Trina watched her friend turn down yet another interested guy and shook her head. "Girl, I'm worried about you. Seriously your poor va jay jay is gonna' shrivel up if you don't get some action soon."

Paige just laughed at her friend good naturedly.

"You know what they say honey, use it or lose it." Trina added with a giggle before taking another long sip of her apple martini. She was on her fourth of the night and was feeling pretty good.

Nodding toward the entirely too young looking boy toy who seemed to be Trina's lucky flavor of the night Jessica said, "I'm not like you T. I don't like one night stands." Wrinkling her nose she added, "To me it just feels so icky the next day, like I should feel ashamed or something."

Trina smirked at her friend. "Your too uptight woman, you just need to let go once in awhile. I happen to think a one night stand is exactly what you need to get you back in the game."

"The game?" Laughed Page. "Alright coach, my love life is now a game?"

"Absofuckinglutely it is!" Trina crowed. "Darling, LIFE is a game. Has living in Vegas taught you nothing?" She picked up her drink and swallowed another gulp down, "I once dated a high roller that told me life is like a game of cards. You didn't invent the rules, you have no control over the cards dealt to you, but your there to play and how you play is up to you."

Paige gave her friend an amused look, "You getting philosophical on me now? I know your drunk."

Shaking her head Trina said, "I'm not drunk yet, but I will be soon if I have anything to say about it. Anyway, back on subject. You need a man tonight." She looked around the crowded bar for a minute before she found a target. "There. The guy by the pool table in the dark t-shirt and jeans. He's cute."

Paige turned to see who her friend was talking about. "Ew Trina, that guy is sweating like a pig. Look at the sweat rings on his shirt."

Grimacing Trina said, "Oh..sorry didn't notice that, just saw the tight ass." A moment more went by when she said, "Ok how about the one in the last booth by bathroom? He's sexy."

"Oh my God, he's old! Are you sure your not drunk?" Paige asked peering closely at her friend.

Rolling her eyes Trina mumbled, "I forgot how damn picky you can be. He's not that old, he's kinda sexy...you know...like Michael Douglas."

"Your weird."

"No, your hard to please." Trina shot back.

Suddenly she grabbed Paige's arm in a tight grip and said, "Holy shit, I've got a good one. There..at the end of the bar sitting by himself."

Paige knew instantly who she was talking about having noticed the blond earlier when he first walked in the bar, going so far as to note where he sat down. He just had that dangerous kind of presence that instantly demanded attention. A real bad boy. It didn't hurt that he was drop dead gorgeous as well.

"Yeah, he's nice looking." she quietly agreed.

Trina glanced at her and then did a double take. "Ha!" She shouted, her volume caused several people to look their way. "Your doing that shy thing you do when you really think someone's cute! Aww that's so sweet. What the fuck you waiting for? Go talk to him, and if you don't I just might have to cause' he's got a Brad Pitt thing going on girl."

Shaking her head Paige said, "Nooo way T, just because I think he's cute doesn't mean I'm going to go over there and throw myself at him."

"Sometimes I just feel like shaking you! He's hot and if you don't hurry up and do something about it, that big boobed bitch beside him is going to eat him alive."

Trina was right. A scantily clad woman that was all but falling out of her top with a set of fake double D's, had worked her way next to him at the bar. She had started a conversation, touching him every five seconds and so far he was looking pretty receptive.

'_Of course he's receptive...he's a guy and look at the size of those tits._' Paige thought wryly.

Suddenly Trina got a mischievous look on her face and called over a waitress. She glanced at Paige to see if she watching, but to her satisfaction she was still busy covertly watching the blond hunk and the bimbo.

After talking with the waitress and slipping her a couple of bills, Trina turned to Paige grinning manically.

"What?" Asked Paige, noticing the look on her friends face.

"Just watch your guy over there for a minute."

Looking back at the man in question, Paige watched as a waitress approached him with a drink and set it down in front of him. She then said something and pointed their way. A sense of panic filtered in her brain. The blond guy was now looking over his shoulder at their table with a smirk.

"Oh no Trina, what did you do?" She moaned.

"Nothing that didn't need to be done." Trina laughed.

Paige looked back at the guy and suddenly they were making eye contact. He lifted the drink in thanks then gave a small smile before turning back toward the blond bimbo.

'_Well, looks like he's not interested anyway._' Paige thought both relieved and disappointed at the same time.

Before she could barely finish the thought though, the guy had grabbed his drink and got up from the bar stool leaving the bottle blond pouting. He began to saunter across the room with a confident lope, heading straight for their table.

"Oh shit, he's coming over here."

"Psshh, of course he's coming over here, he doesn't look like a fool. Now relax and get yourself laid babe." Trina whispered right before their company arrived at the table.

Paige sent an annoyed glare toward Trina before finally looking up into a pair of gorgeous green eyes. He was even better looking now that he was up close.

Paige wasn't usually one for beards, but something about this guys short blond facial hair was beyond sexy. It only added to the rough around the edge look that suited him well. Shoulder length blond hair was tucked behind his ears to reveal a handsome face that happened to have a pair of the most kissable looking lips she had ever seen on a man. He was wearing a blue and black large checkered flannel shirt that was buttoned up all the way and a pair of loose fit jeans. He was a nice height for Paige's taste, which meant he was somewhere between 6'1 or 6'2. His shirt was loose but despite that his broad shoulders and strong frame was apparent.

"You want to join me for a drink?" He asked motioning his head toward another table or perhaps one of the booths that sat a few feet away.

Paige looked around at the big crowded table she was currently sitting at, and noticed a few of the occupants watching their interaction curiously. Making a quick decision she nodded and rose from her seat, drink in hand. She saw Trina watching closely, so she gave a signal that they were going to sit somewhere else to which her friend responded with both a wink and shooing motion.

Finding an unoccupied back booth away from most of the crowd they sat down across from one another. He signaled for a waitress and asked, "You want to freshen up that drink?"

"Sure."

When the waitress arrived Paige told her what she was drinking. He added his order of straight whiskey.

"Your a whiskey girl, hunh?"

A little smile touched her lips and she teased, "I'm not hard core like you but yeah I usually like to drink Jack and Coke. It mellows me out."

He was quiet for a minute, staring at her intently.

"I'm Jax by the way."

"Paige."

Slowly he reached down and picked up her hand turning it over. For a second there was a zing of electricity that seemed to startle them both. That subdued to a low hum as he gently rubbed the soft skin of her palm with the calloused pad of his big thumb. She noticed that grease stained his nail cuticles, probably from working with his hands. Strangely that only added to the growing list of things she found sexy about this man.

"Well Paige, I've been having a shitty night, but I'm hoping that maybe you can help change that."

It was so straight forward it was almost shocking. No sweet talk, or smooth lines of flattery. With anyone else she might have been offended or maybe a little put off by his cockiness, but there was something else there in his face that gave her pause. A world weariness that called to her to help make things better. To offer a little shelter from the storm be it only for a few hours or an entire night. So instead of rolling her eyes and getting up from the table she found herself responding.

She thought, '_Hell, maybe Trina is right. Maybe I just need to get laid. And hey, while I'm at it I can brighten someones day_.'

A slow grin stole across her face, "You know...just maybe I can."

He responded with a devastating smile of even white teeth and soft lips. At that moment Paige knew she was in for one interesting night.

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**A/N: Don't be shy with your reviews guys. Let me know what you think. If I get a enough reviews I'll post the next chapter soon. Thanks for the story Alerts and for just reading! **

**Dani**


	3. Chapter 2

**Alright..I know some of you are going to want all the details of Jax and Paige's wild and crazy night, but I decided to go a little different route. I wrote it to be a little reminiscent of "The Hangover", at least as far as the memory loss goes. That doesn't mean there won't be flashbacks later on in the story though ;)**

**Happy reading!**

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Chapter 2

Months Earlier

Sunlight filtered through the blinds as it stole across the floor and hit the hotel bed. Jax moaned as the light rudely pulled him from his sleep. Before he even opened his eyes he knew that he was going to pay for the bender he must have went on the night before. That all too familiar feeling of sick began to wash over him as he turned on his stomach to escape the harsh sun rays. That's when he felt an expanse of warm soft flesh pressed up against his side.

He didn't bother to turn and look at who was sharing his bed. For him waking up with someone new beside him was an all too common occurrence lately. As he lay there thinking he realized what wasn't common was that the night before was fuzzy at best with several gaping holes in his memory.

He knew that he was in Las Vegas with a few of the other brothers to discuss business with Jimmy Cacuzza. There had been an argument with Clay and he remembered taking off toward downtown Vegas looking to get lit and laid, it didn't matter in what order. He didn't feel like sticking around the hotel and risk losing his shit in front of the other SOA members, some of them nomads who were there for back up. Chibs had offered to go with him but he had just handed over his cut and told his friend to stay put, he just needed some space. In hindsight taking off on his own anywhere in Nevada was reckless, but he wasn't thinking straight these days.

'_Looks like I got what I was looking for though_.' he thought smugly as he felt the woman beside him begin to stir. Beyond feeling hungover, his body felt worked over in that pleasant lose way that told him that he must have had a real good time with his companion.

He heard a groan and felt the woman turn over. There was a gasp before she hastily exited the bed and slammed into what he figured was the bathroom. He winced as he listened to her empty her stomach violently into the toilet several times, and would have felt sorry for her if he wasn't pretty much in the same boat. He was afraid to move, positive that after throwing up his head would just fucking explode.

Several long minutes passed before the sound of running water was heard in the bathroom sink. Then muffled through the door he heard a sharp gasp followed by the woman's voice, "What the hell?" Then another, "What the hell!?" Louder this time. Thirty seconds later the bathroom door was wrenched open loudly slamming against the door stop.

Jax groaned groggily, just wishing that she would either leave or lay back down he didn't really care which. Noise was NOT his friend right now.

"Excuse me..um..Jack?" She said trying to get his attention. Then she mumbled to herself, "Was it Jake..Jim..."

"Jax." he corrected with a grumble. "Can you please just lay back down or something. I would like to die in piece."

"We seem to have a problem."

Jax eyebrows drew together in annoyance. "Sweetheart, I only have one problem right now and it's you. Please just shut the fuck up."

Several long moments passed and he thought maybe she had decided to actually listen. He heard movement close to the bed then, 'Thwap! Thwap! Thwap!' It felt like a nuclear bomb was going off in his head.

"Shit woman!" He bellowed as he turned over and pulled himself to his elbows, a pissed off look plastered to his face. That was the first time he saw her sober.

His alcohol bogged memory hadn't done her justice he decided as he took in the tall gorgeous woman standing over him in a towel wielding one of the bed pillows like a samurai sword.

Her vivacious red hair had a life of it's own as it tumbled in disheveled ringlets down her back and over her creamy shoulders, and Jax was pretty sure he had never seen eyes like that on anyone. The color reminded him of a piece of amber that his Dad had given him once. He wondered if they changed colors too.

Right now they were flashing in anger and...panic?

"Now that I have your attention, I think you should look at this." She reached under her arm and pulled out a piece of paper before offering it over.

He just looked at her for a moment before taking the paper and squinting his light sensitive eyes to read it. '_State of Nevada Marriage Certificate.....'_

'…......!!'

"What the fuck?!"

"Exactly!" The red head exclaimed throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I found it in the bathroom."

Jax flopped down flat on his back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, then suddenly jumped up and sprinted to the bathroom barely making it to the toilet.

After emptying his stomach a couple more times he stood up and started the shower. Standing in front of the sink mirror naked he leaned forward and noted how bad he looked. "Christ, what have I got myself into this time?"

After taking a long shower he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips. He saw that his apparent …...wife...his mind choked on the word, was sitting on the bed looking as shell shocked as he felt. He walked over to the pile of clothes that littered the floor and located his jeans, rummaging through the pockets until he found a crumpled pack of cigarettes and his Zippo.

After lighting up a cigarette and taking in a deep draw of smoke, he walked back to the bed and sat down beside the distraught woman.

"I'm sorry but things from last night are a little...blurry...what's your name darlin'?"

"Paige." She was still looking straight forward at the hotel room wall.

Jax scrubbed his face with both his hands and sighed, "Look Paige, things obviously got a little out of hand last night. Do you remember anything?"

"A little out of hand? Chyeah..ya think?" She said sarcastically then pointed to his cigarette and asked, "May I?"

He handed it over and said,"Just keep it, I'll light another one." Luckily the pack had one more left.

Paige closed her eyes and tried to allow the cigarette calm her nerves. "I remember meeting you at "The Cellar" and moving to a booth."

"The Cellar?" He asked.

"It's the bar where we met. My good friend owns it." She clarified.

He just nodded in understanding, so she continued, "I remember dancing, and drinking..a lot.." She rolled her eyes at that. " I remember..coming to the Tropicana..I think."A confused look crossed her face at that, then she shook her head and said, "After that I'm just kinda blank. I definitely don't remember...well you know, dum dun dum duh."

Jax thoughtfully stared toward the balcony door that was adjacent to the bed before adding his two cents. "I was drinking before I got to that bar where I met you, so I was already buzzed. I do remember dancing with you. After I think we smoked a little weed outside then went back in and drank some more. I remember leaving but after that it goes between fuzzy and blank."

Silence ruled the moment as they both tried to make sense of what obviously happened the night before.

Spotting something on the floor beside the bed, Paige reached down and pulled into her lap what appeared to be a white wicker basket. "Damn, this is from "Chapel of the Bells" across the street." She murmured as she began rummaging through it. There was an unopened bottle of cheap champagne, a disposable camera, a couple of t-shirts that had Chapel of the Bells advertised on them, and an opened box of condoms with several of it's contents missing.

"Classy." She quipped after looking through the "Wedding on the Go" gift basket.

"Probably still more classy than my first wedding." Jax grinned which earned him an unamused look from the tall red head.

Looking around at the moderately nice hotel room he asked, "So, you know where we are?"

"Yeah..we're at the Tropicana where I work. I recognize the rooms." Paige sighed.

"You work in the hotel or the casino?"

She shook her head, "Neither, I'm a Showgirl. I dance in the show "Folies Bergere"

Jax was impressed, though not at all surprised. Show girls were known to be the cream of the crop of beautiful women in Vegas, and she definitely fit the profile. He knew Bobby was gonna' shit when he found out about this. The SAMCRO treasurer had said many times that no woman could stack up to a real Vegas Showgirl.

"Well sweetheart, looks like we're going to just have to chalk this up as one of those crazy nights. As far as this little gem goes.." he waved the marriage certificate, "we can probably just get an annulment, no harm no foul."

She snorted, "Yeah just one of those crazy nights. Even if we get an annulment I'm still going to have a reminder for the rest of my life."

He looked at her confused.

Paige stood up and opened her towel just enough to flash her belly and hip. Right alongside her right pelvis bone was a very fresh tattoo. "You would think that I would remember getting a tattoo this big. I mean, why would I get a freaking bird tattoo?"

"It's a crow." Jax murmured at the sight of the familiar design. It was sexy as hell on her too, but he figured that the comment wouldn't be appreciated right now. He calmly took another pull off his cigarette,"You probably should get some Neosporin on that, it looks irritated."

"A crow? Why would I get a crow? I've been thinking about getting a Celtic heart.." Then she laughed, "I just surprised I didn't get your name on me. I mean, wouldn't that have just completed this whole cliché?! We're in Vegas, we got wasted, had a quickie wedding and neither of us remember a damn thing. So yeah..a tattoo..why not?" She laughed again and it held a definite edge of hysteria to it.

Jax decided that it was probably best to keep his mouth shut about the actual meaning of the crow, and the fact that it was as good as getting branded with his name. Reaching out he pulled the upset woman back down to the bed to sit beside him.

"You need to take a breath and calm down. Take a shower and get dressed, then we'll go and find somewhere that sells coffee and..." he looked at the clock on the nightstand to see that it read 1:20 PM, "lunch. We'll talk and try to figure this shit out."

'_Shit it's already after one o'clock?_!' He thought shocked.

She looked at him with those huge amber eyes searching his face before nodding. "Your right." She stood up and started gathering her clothes. "I just need some coffee and food. Then I'll call "Chapel of the Bells" to see what they know. Maybe they can give us some advice on how to get this fixed."

He waited till the bathroom door closed behind her before he went searching for his cell phone. It was on the floor buried under the pile of clothes. The phone was turned off, so he powered it up and waited. There were 10 missed calls and 3 messages.

He called his voice mail and listened to the messages, two from Chibs asking him where the hell he was and one from Tara wanting to talk. His jaw clenched as he listened to the message from his on again and off again old lady. He definitely wasn't in the mood for her shit today and he decided that whatever she wanted would have to wait till he got back to Charming.

After getting dressed, he called Gemma and checked in on Abel. It had been tough going on runs since everything that had gone down a few months before with his son's kidnapping. They had found the baby shortly after he was taken and dealt with the person responsible, but Jax knew he would probably never stop being paranoid. Satisfied that everything was fine with his son, it was time to give Chibs a call.

Paige came out of the bathroom dressed in the now wrinkled green wrap dress she had worn the night before, and Jax couldn't help but watch her every move as she walked around the room searching for one of her heels. He was really beginning to regret that he couldn't remember exactly how those long sexy legs had felt wrapped around him.

"Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can...yeah." He hung up the phone and sighed.

"You need to go?" Paige was watching him.

He tapped the phone to the side of his thigh while thinking. He had to meet up with the boys for that meeting with Cacuzza in forty minutes and there was no way he could bail on that. If he was going to make it he needed to get going. He had found the stub from the parking garage where he left his bike in his back pocket, now he just had to track it down.

"I've got some things that I have to go take care of."

Paige's face fell. "Oh. Well, do you live around here?"

Jax shook his head, "Naa, I'm from Charming California, and honestly I might have to go back today." He walked toward the bedside table and looked in the drawer finding a pencil and a pad. After writing out something on the small sheet he tore it out and handed it over to her, "That's my cell number. Find out what we need to do and give me a call. I'll come back if I need to to sign something. Just let me know."

She looked uncertain as she accepted the number. "Ok, I suppose that's fine."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds before Jax finally said, "Alright I've got to split. Sorry again that last night got so out of control."

"Yeah me too. I'll call you with the information."

With that Jax was out the door leaving the situation to be dealt with later. Right now he had SAMCRO business to attend.

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**A/N: OK..you know the drill. Reviews are welcome :)**

**Dani**


	4. Chapter 3

**Alright, here's the next chapter as requested. Note that the rating is Mature, so among other things the language is going to be mature in most of the chapters. If SOA was on HBO instead of FX I bet they would use the F word constantly. lol**

**If you have an extra minute, please review :)**

**Dani**

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Chapter 3

Present

Jax pulled his motorcycle into the garage of his house a little surprised to see Gemma's car parked in the driveway rather than Neeta's. If he wasn't mistaken Neeta was supposed to pick Abel up from daycare today, staying with the little boy until he could get home. He mentally shrugged it off, just figuring that he gotten the schedule mixed up again.

He walked in the front door spotting his Mom sitting in the living room in one of the chairs. The room was dark and from the sweet pungent smell, she was smoking weed.

"Hey Mom." He called as he walked toward the kitchen shrugging off his cut and hanging it on one of the chairs. Opening the refrigerator he grabbed a couple of cold beer bottles, popping the tops before strolling back into the living room.

He plopped down one of the beers on the table beside her before reaching into the ashtray and picking up the lit roach. Taking a seat on the couch that sat adjacent to the chair, he took a deep toke before placing it back in the ashtray.

"What's with sitting in the dark?" He asked before taking a gulp of beer.

"How did the drop off go?" She asked ignoring his question.

Jax's eyebrows drew together in confusion. He could already tell that Gemma had her panties in a twist about something, but he couldn't think of anything he had done recently that would have set her off.

"Smooth. No problems this time. You haven't talked to Clay yet?"

She reached over and took a last draw off the tiny joint and shook her head. "No, I came right over here after I left the shop today."

"You get my little man down ok?" He asked hoping she would just spit out what was troubling her, but he knew his Mom and she wasn't gonna' say a damn thing until she was good and ready.

A small smile touched Gemma's lips as she thought about her pride and joy Abel. "Yeah, Neeta said he had fun at the daycare today. Guess it wore his ass out cause' he went out like a light after his bath."

"Good." Jax said nodding his head. He'd go check on the baby in a little while.

They sat quietly in the dark for a few minutes before Gemma finally said, "I had an interesting day."

'_Here we go_.' Jax thought.

"Yeah?"

She pinned him with an intense look before drawling, "Yeeah."

"Mom, I'm tired can you just tell me what's going on?"

"Sure Jackson, I can tell ya what's going on." Her tone was deceptively light.

Whatever was going on, he knew he was fucked. She had called him Jackson.

She went on, "You see I got a visitor today at the shop, real fine looking piece too. She was looking for you."

He didn't say anything, just waited.

"She had some paper work for you to sign." Gemma reached over to her purse, pulled out a manila envelope and tossed it in his lap.

Sitting down his beer, he opened the envelope and started reading. He didn't let the surprise he felt show, knowing that it was best to play this cool.

"When were you gonna' say something?" Gemma asked watching him closely.

Jax sighed and dropped his chin to his chest in defeat. "Honestly? I probably wasn't going to."

The matriarch snorted sarcastically, "No shit. It's been almost four months Jax. What were you gonna' do? Just stay married indefinitely to some bitch in Vegas?"

"She was supposed to call me." he shot back in defense.

"Well she claims to have lost your number. All she knew was your name from the marriage license and that you were from Charming, California." Then she pointed at him, "This is what I found interesting though. She says that you knew where she worked. That you said you told her you would be back so you could take care of this. What happened?"

He ran a hand over his face in frustration. "Fuck..I don't know. So much shit is always going on. I would have got around to it." Then he looked at her and asked, "She's here? In Charming?"

"Damn right she's here. I sent her over to the Buckhead Inn. Told her you would get up with her tomorrow." Gemma seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say for a moment before she said, "I get how this happened. I've done plenty of stupid shit when I was wasted too, we all have. But you...going into Vegas or ANYWHERE in Nevada and getting fucked up without back up? It's no good Jax. That's how you end up dead."

Jax looked at her thoughtfully. "I know. My heads....been twisted on wrong for awhile now."

Gemma sniffed, "Yeah..it has, and I've been waiting for you to snap out of it." Then she leaned forward and looked him in the eyes sternly, "It's time to take out the trash baby. She's been fucking with your head since you were nineteen years old." Then she pointed to the papers in his lap, "It's causing you to make some _real_ bad moves. I'm just glad it was something like this instead of you coming home in a body bag."

Jax knew which SHE that his Mother was referring to. Tara had broke his heart at nineteen, and then almost eleven years later came back into his life only to do the same damn thing again. He was able to forgive her for bailing on him the first time, she was young back then. This last time though...she didn't just bail on him, she bailed on Abel too. That was a hell of a lot harder to get past. Sure she came back a month later an emotional mess and full of apologies, but the damage had been done. He realized then that his trust in her was completely shot and she would never be able to accept his way of life.

They should have ended things months ago, but it was as if they were addicted to one another. Unable to be together but both still too in love to end it for good. It was a fucked up situation.

He watched as his Mom sat back in the chair with a sigh then reach down to gather her purse and jacket. She stood up and said, "As far as Miss Vegas goes, make sure you meet her tomorrow and resolve this. You don't need this hanging over your head."

With that she leaned down and pecked him on the forehead before heading for the door.

Jax heard her drive off but continued to sit in the same spot for at least another half hour just thinking about things. Finally he got up and went to check on his son before catching some much needed shut eye. He knew that tomorrow would be an interesting day, he was going to see his wife for the first time in months.

SOASOASOASOA

Paige flopped back onto the motel bed with a sigh. Today hadn't gone at all like she planned.

It was supposed to be quick and easy. Find Jax, get the papers signed, then leave in the morning. No muss no fuss, in and out.

'_Yeah right_.' She mentally scoffed. Instead she had been confronted by the scariest Mother in Law on the face of the planet, then forced to spill her guts. On top of that she never even got to speak to Jax. He was apparently out of town today.

"Shit." She whispered to the empty room.

For the hundredth time she berated herself for losing that stupid piece of paper with his cell number on it. She could have sworn that she had folded it then put it in her purse that day at the hotel, but later at home when she needed to call him with the information there was no trace of it anywhere. She had literally tore her purse apart looking for it, going so far as to tear the lining out.

She didn't completely panic though. He knew what she did and where she worked. It would be easy enough to call and get in touch with the only Showgirl at the Tropicana by the name of Paige. She's figured that when he didn't hear from her he would surely take the initiative to get up with her.

Turns out she figured wrong. A week went by, then two week, then three and before she knew it a whole month had past with no word. That's the point she began to get a little concerned. Why hadn't he called to resolve their situation?

She had kept the impromptu wedding and her new tattoo as her own dirty little secret up until then, embarrassed to admit to anyone how stupid she had been. After a month though it was time to suck it up and tell her best friend. It felt like something was hanging over he head, and she needed someone to talk about it with.

"What!" Her best friend Trina had shouted before breaking into hysterical laughter after Paige had finally admitted the truth and showed her new tattoo.

"Go ahead and laugh it up." Paige had grumbled as her friend laughed her ass off at her.

When she could finally talk again Trina had said, "I'm sorry sweetie, it's just that only you could turn a hot one night stand into a situation like this."

When a whole three months had passed with still with no word,Trina was the one that had pushed her into taking a trip to Charming. The show at the Tropicana had just closed for good after a long twenty-five year run, and Paige had suddenly found herself between jobs. The Stardust hotel and Casino was offering her a place in their new show, but it was still in the very early stages of production. She wouldn't have to start work for a few weeks yet, when they finally started working on the choreography. For the first time in a long while she found herself with a little extra time on her hands.

Trina had quipped jokingly, "No better time to go off to California and hunt down your missing husband for a quickie divorce, right?"

Thinking of her best friend now, Paige reached over to the bedside table and picked up the cell phone where it had been charging, and speed dialed a familiar number.

"_Hello?_" Trina's voice sounded from the phone.

"Hey." Paige greeted.

"_I was hoping to hear from you tonight. You there all safe and sound_?"

Smiling at her friends concern she said, "Yep, I'm here. As far as safe and sound goes...that's debatable."

"_What? Explain now girl._"

"Well the trip up wasn't bad at all. The GPS had no problems getting me here, but I ran into my...well..I guess she's technically my Mother in Law. God T, she was the most intimidating woman I've met in a long time."

Trina chuckled at her friend, "_You actually told her who you were_?"

Paige rolled her eyes even though her friend couldn't see it, "I didn't have much choice. I tracked Jax to a garage, which I think his family must own by the way, and his Mom was working in the office. She wouldn't let me leave until I told her why I was there. Trust me, I was cornered."

"_Shit, that sounded fun_." Trina said sarcastically.

"At least she had the decency to pull out the tequila. She took a shot then offered me one. That helped."

"_Damn, she actually sounds kinda cool P_."

Paige sighed, "I guess, but I would more likely describe her as tough. And scary. I was kinda glad to get out of there intact."

"_Did your hubby sign the papers?_"

"Please don't call him that...and No! After all that he wasn't even here today. His Mom told me that he would be in touch with me tomorrow. I guess she's gonna' talk with him tonight."

There was voice in the background through the phone and Trina said something muffled before she said, "_Babe I need to go, I'm still on the clock here at the bar._"

"Damn Trina I didn't know you were working tonight, sorry." Paige apologized. With the show being over at the Tropicana, Trina was waiting for the new show to open up at the Stardust too. Being a shopaholic with several whopping credit card bills in her name, she had no choice but to get a part time job working as a bartender in the interim.

Trina scoffed, "_Oh please, I've been waiting for you to call all night. Call me tomorrow when you know something, ok?_"

Paige smiled softly, "Sure thing T. Talk to you tomorrow."

After hanging up, she turned on the T.V and found a channel playing reruns of CSI Miami, which she only payed half attention to. Her mind was really on what tomorrow would bring. She was a little nervous about seeing Jax again, and just hoped that everything went smooth. She soon drifted off into a restless sleep.

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**A/N: Next chapter, Paige and Jax meet again. I already have it done, so review to speed up the update! ;)**


	5. Chapter 4

**I want to thank everyone who read the last chapter..and I REALLY appreciate all the fantastic reviews! You guys rock! OK..In this chapter Jax and Paige come face to face again. This is my longest chapter yet. Let me know if you like it or not. **

**Happy reading!**

**Dani**

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Chapter 4

Paige woke feeling out of sorts and tired from the restless sleep of the night before. She had set her phone alarm to seven am to insure she was up and ready for whenever Jax wanted to meet.

After grabbing a quick shower then moisturizing, she went through her suitcase to find something to wear. Not looking to dress to impress she settled on a simple pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a well worn Metallica t-shirt.

Once dressed, she ran a little anitfrizz product through her hair then blow dried it into long soft curls that reached all the way to the small of her back. That taken care of she finished up her routine by simply putting a dab of mascara on her light eyelashes and a bit of lip gloss on her full lips. As far as everyday makeup was concerned she was a firm believer in the old adage that less was more.

Now ready for the day, Paige's thoughts turned to her rumbling stomach. She hadn't ate anything since the hamburger and fries the day before, so it was no surprise at how hungry she felt. Just as she was considering going on a hunt for some food, she was startled by a knock at the door.

She made her way over to the door and looked out the peep hole. A blond head was turned looking the other way, but she still recognized it instantly. Even as freaked out she was that morning almost four months ago, she hadn't forgotten what Jax Teller looked like. The guy was a definite hottie.

Taking a deep breath she opened the door, put her hand on her hip and quipped, "It seems like we 're destined to forever meet in motels and hotels."

Jax grinned at her as his eyes greedily drank her in from the top of her head to the tips of her bare toes. She couldn't help but feel a little self conscious under the weight of his stare.

"Looks that way." he smirked.

A long moment passed before Paige finally said, "Would you like to come in?"

"I was thinking that we could go eat something for breakfast and talk?" He suggested pointing over his shoulder toward the parking lot.

Slightly relieved to have something take some of the awkward out of the situation she readily agreed, "I was actually just thinking about getting something to eat right before you knocked, so just give me a sec." Leaving the door open she turned to locate the flip flops that she had thrown off the night before.

Jax took a step in the doorway watching Paige closely as she leaned down to check under the bed for her shoes. He had forgotten exactly how extremely sexy this woman was, and found taking his eyes off her to be damn near impossible. Those long lean jean clad legs which just so happened to be attached to one of the most luscious asses he had ever seen drew his gaze like a moth to a flame.

After slipping on her flops, Paige turned back to Jax ready to go. She felt her face begin to flush when she caught the look on his face. Being a showgirl had pretty much jaded her from being affected when men checked her out, but there was just something about this particular man that threw her off balance.

Grabbing her purse she cleared her throat and said, "Ok..Ready to go. Do you have anyplace specific in mind?"

Standing there with his hands in his jean pockets as she shut the door he answered, "We can just head over to Lumpy's down the road. They have a pretty good breakfast."

Paige raised one auburn eyebrow, "Lumpy's? Hell of a name for a restaurant."

Jax placed his hand lightly on the small of her back as he ushered her down the breezeway toward the stairs that led to the parking lot. "Yeah it is, but I promise it's better than it sounds." He said chuckling.

Paige followed Jax into the parking lot of Lumpy's Family Restaurant, pulling her car in right next to his motorcycle. She smirked over at him as he climbed off his bike and removed his helmet but left a small backpack on his back. She wasn't really surprised that he drove a Harley. It was yet another piece of the puzzle that was Jax Teller and it certainly seemed to fit him.

He waited patiently as she exited her Mustang, scoping out the restaurants parking lot from behind his dark sunglasses. He was pleased to see there were no other bikes parked in the lot this morning, the last thing they needed was to be interrupted by any of his fellow brothers.

The sign at the front at the door told them to please seat themselves, so Paige followed Jax to a booth toward the back corner of the restaurant. They each took a side, sitting them directly across from one another.

Jax relaxed back throwing his arm up along the back of the booth seat while Paige picked up one of the menus and began reading through what the restaurant had to offer in the way of breakfast. She glanced up at Jax and asked, "You going to order anything?"

"I already know what I want darlin'." He replied lazily.

"Oh..good, I hate eating in front of someone who's not." She gave a small smile which he returned.

In no time at all a perky young waitress was standing in front of them with a pad and pen in hand. "Hey Jax!" She said rather excitedly. "You want the usual?"

Paige suppressed an amused smile at the young girl who couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen. She obviously had quite the crush on the blond man.

"Hey Sonya, yeah the usual sounds good." He said smiling brilliantly. Paige felt like rolling her eyes, It really just wasn't fair for him to use a smile like that on women.

The girl giggled tossing her blond ponytail a little. "Oh would you like me to add an orange juice to that too? You usually just get coffee, but last time you added and OJ to your order, so...." The waitress added breathlessly.

With a smirk Jax simply said, "Sure."

He looked back toward Paige and found her watching with a bemused smile as the waitress rushed away with his order without taking hers. He called out, "Sonya?"

The young waitress stopped abruptly and asked, "Yeah Jax?"

"Can you take my friends order too?"

A flush spread throughout the girl's face as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." Then she turned to Paige obviously flustered, "May I take your order?"

Paige was hardly offended, remembering all too well what it was like to be that age with a huge crush. She sent the girl a sympathetic smile and ordered a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, and toast. She too requested an orange juice on the side.

Alone again with their food orders out of the way, she grinned and joked, "I can see that you have a way with the ladies Mr. Teller."

A slow sexy grin spread across Jax's lips. "Well, I had a way with you didn't I?"

Paige felt herself flush from head to toe at his audacious comment. Did the man have no shame?

Struggling to recover her wits which had been so effortlessly scattered, she shook her head, "I..I..don't even know what to say to that!"

Jax chuckled deep in his chest as he watched the beautiful red head across from him. He could tell that she seemed to be as affected by him as he was her and again he felt another pang of regret that he couldn't remember much of the night they had spent together. He briefly played with the idea of trying to spend a little quality time with with her back at her hotel room before she left town, but quickly discarded the idea. It was best to get this situation over and done with, fucking her again would probably just complicate the matter.

Paige figured that moment was as good as any to ask a question, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He replied without a moments hesitation.

She seemed to struggle with what she wanted to ask for a moment, "What happened? I mean, why didn't you come back to Vegas and find me?"

Jax pointedly stared at her before he shifted in his seat a bit, "You were supposed to call me you know."

Paige nodded, "Yeah I know. I lost the paper with your number on it. I think I dropped it at the hotel.." She bit her lip nervously before continuing, "I mean, you knew how to find me though. Didn't you want to get this taken care of as soon as possible?"

Jax sighed, "You don't know me Paige so I'll fill you in a little. I'm a pretty busy guy. I always have a lot of shit on my plate, and lately it's been worse than usual. I guess I just figured there was no rush with this situation, ya know?" He shrugged.

Then a thought crossed his mind and made his eyebrows pull together, "Ah shit. You got someone waiting for you to get this taken care of?" It had just dawned on him that while the timing on this matter was not an issue for him, that might not be the case for her. A beautiful woman like that surely had someone waiting in the wings.

At first Paige looked at him a little perplexed, but then it dawned on her what he was getting at, "Oh! No, no that's not it at all. I guess I just felt like it was hanging over my head. I have to tell you Jax, I've been feeling kinda stupid for what happened that night." She chuckled, " When my best friend found out she had a field day. I don't think she'll ever let me live it down."

Jax was little surprised that a woman like her didn't have a man, but a part of him admitted that he was glad. Shaking off the thought he said, "Yeah well stupid shit is bound to happen when you get as lit up as we were. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Paige looked at him solemnly and said, "I..I'm sorry Jax. About your Mom finding out yesterday. I just hope it didn't cause you too much trouble."

"It's ok, I'm a big boy." He said shrugging. "Can't blame you for wanting to take care of this mess. Truth is I should have found you before now, so I'm the one who's sorry. Alright?" He was now looking in her eyes directly so that she understood that he was being genuine.

Paige just gave him a small smile which he promptly returned as they continued to stare at one another.

The moment was lost as Sonya the waitress showed up with their food. Soon a comfortable silence lapsed between them as they each tucked into their meal with occasional conversation and banter between them. Overall it was a very pleasant breakfast and they both found themselves surprised by how easy it was to be around one another.

The plates had been cleared and they were both working on a last cup of coffee when Jax pulled the annulment papers from his backpack. He had read through and signed them before leaving the house, so there was nothing really left to do but hand them over.

"All signed and ready to go." He said as he passed the packet across the table.

Paige gave him a half smile as she accepted the envelope. "Thanks Jax. When I get back in Vegas I guess all I have to do is hand these over to my lawyer and he'll file em'. You filled out your address and number right?"

Jax simply nodded.

"Good..from what I understand, we'll each get a copy of the final decrement in the mail." She said as she slipped the envelope under her purse.

Another silence lapsed between them until the blond waitress came back with their check. They both reached for it at the same time, but Jax proved to be faster.

"Nah, this is on me darlin'." He said as he slipped out of the booth and waited for her to follow.

Gathering her things Paige watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a large roll of bills, slipping off a couple to lay on the table with the check.

Jax ushered her out the door of the restaurant and over to where her car was parked in the parking lot.

Paige unlocked her door and threw her things into the passenger seat before turning back around to face Jax.

"So..I guess this is it. You should look me up if you're ever in Vegas again." She half joked as she looked at her temporary husband for what she figured would probably be the last time.

For some unexplainable reason she was feeling a little sad. It seemed kind of silly since she hardly knew the guy, but the feeling was there just the same. She quickly shook it off rationalizing that there was no sense getting emotionally attached to someone she had barely even spent any time with. They were no more than two strangers whose paths just so happened to cross.

The wind was blowing a bit, and Jax watched the lovely redhead as she tossed a couple of her long flowing curls out of her face. "I might just do that." He said distractedly as he stared at her but more specifically her full pillow like lips. He couldn't recall a time he had wanted to kiss a woman so badly.

"Ok then." She said with a small smile as she nodded decidedly. "Take care Jax."

With that she moved to get into the Mustang and be on her way. Suddenly before she could process what was happening, a pair of strong hands were firmly gripping her waist and turning her around.

Jax's lips crashed onto hers and then it was as if her bones were dissolving. She was at his mercy and all she could do was lean into his strong frame to remain standing. She opened her mouth ever so slightly, and that was the signal that he had been waiting for. His tongue slipped past her lips and began a slow sensual duel for control with hers. A glorious mixture of soft and gentle but still demanding and firm, the kiss was everything that Paige could have ever wanted it to be.

To Jax, she tasted sweet like a delicious mixture of honey and cream with a mild hint of the coffee they had both been drinking thrown in. Her scent was intoxicating, the soft clean smell somehow reminding him of sushine, flowers and rain if that were possible. In that moment the urge to take her somewhere more private so that he could immerse himself completely in everything that was Paige was almost overwhelming.

Unfortunately the need for air was something that neither could ignore and they eventually broke apart with a gasp.

Paige stared at Jax shocked, "What was that for?" She asked breathlessly.

Jax slowly grinned and pecked her lips once more before regretfully pulling away. She watched as he sauntered toward his motorcycle.

"Guess it was just something I had to do." He called over his shoulder.

After strapping on his helmet he started the Harley and began slowly backing up. He then called out, "I left ya something in the envelope." and with those final words he was off with a roar of his bike and within seconds gone completely from sight.

Paige reached up and lightly touched her lipsnstaring off in the direction that he had went. Finally with a sigh she climbed into her car.

Reaching over she grabbed the manila envelope and began to pull out the annulment papers when a small white business size envelope slid into her lap. She picked it up and noted that it had her name printed with block letters on the front. She wasted no time in opening it up.

The first thing that caught her attention was the green stack of hundred dollar bills. Her mouth fell open in surprise as she began to count them out. There were twenty in all, coming to a total of two grand. Quickly Paige reached into the envelope again and fished out a small piece of paper with a note scribbled on it.

It said, "This is to cover any legal fees, no arguments. Jax"

The lawyer had only charged her around six hundred dollars to file the papers, so to say the least it was more than enough. Sitting up a little straighter in her seat Paige debated on whether or not to drop the money off at Teller-Marrow but then quickly dropped the idea. She determined that when she got back to Vegas she would just mail Jax his money back to him. She was more than happy to pay the legal fees, and really hadn't expected anything from him in that department.

With that settled in her mind Paige stuffed the money and note back into it's envelope then put it away safely in her purse. She snapped on her seat belt and pulled out of the parking lot heading back in the direction of the hotel.

A red light caught her as she pulled up into the intersection right before her turn off. She waited patiently for the light to turn green, though it seemed to be taking forever. While waiting she reached down and flipped on the radio until she found something she wanted to listen too.

She smiled a little as the sound of the Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine" drifted from her car stereo. An oldie but goody, she softly sang along,

"**I'm walkin' on sunshine..woahooohoh, **

**I'm walkin' on sunshine...woahooohoh, **

**and don't it feel good! All right yeah..and don't feel good..**"

"Geeze, bout' time." She mumbled when the light finally changed.

Slowly she accelerated the gas pedal and began to move through the intersection.

A black blur from the corner of her eye followed by a loud screeching sound would be the only warning Paige would have before everything went abruptly dark.

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**A/N: A little twist at the end ;) Did ya see that coming?**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi guys, sorry about the delay on this chapter. It was written out for awhile now, but I had a bit of a problem this week. I had to take my eight year old cat Chloe to the vet to be put down. I know it may seem silly, but it really hit me hard. So R.I.P. my sweet baby girl.**

**This chapter is all Gemma. If she seems too bitchy, just remember she is having a really bad day. She keeps running into people that she can't stand. lol I promise that I won't write her this snarky throughout the story.**

**Happy reading :)**

**Dani**

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Chapter 5

So far Gemma was having one shitty ass morning. She sighed as she reached for the work order that Chibs had dropped off just a few minutes earlier. Totaling up a customers bill, her mind drifted in several different directions.

She thought about the night before, and how she had spent the better part of the evening trying to sooth Clay. Something had not gone well on the latest run and it had put the SAMCRO President in a hellava foul mood. So far he was being tight lipped about what was going on, but she would bet her sweet ass it had something to do with Jax.

'_If those two don't straighten their shit out soon I'm gonna' need jaw surgery._' She thought wryly as continued to work.

Then her thoughts turned to earlier that morning, and the run in she had with one of least favorite people.

Pulling into the lot at Teller-Marrow after dropping Abel off at the daycare, Gemma had spotted an all to familiar blue Ford Explorer. It belonged to none other than Jax's junkie of an ex-wife and unfortunately Abel's Mother.

(flashback)

_**'knock, knock, knock'**__ Gemma wrapped hard on the SUV's window to gain the younger woman's attention. Wendy glanced out through the glass and spotted her ex-Mother-in-Law standing there __impatiently. Her expression resembled that of a deer in the headlights, and it took a moment before she finally rolled down the window._

"_He's not coming in for awhile, so what the hell do ya want?" Gemma bit out, tired of dealing with the troublesome woman._

_A look of disappointment crossed Wendy's face before she said, "I just wanted to talk to Jax about Abel's birthday Gemma. That's all, honest."_

_The matriarch scowled, "What about his birthday Wendy?"_

"_I..I.." Wendy licked her lips nervously before trying again, "I just wanted to know if he was gonna' have a party. I'd really like to help, ya know?"_

_Gemma stared the nervous woman down before she drawled, "I just bet you would." She leaned in closer to the opened window and said coldly, "If I had my way you wouldn't see that kid again ever, let alone get the chance to celebrate his birthday with him." _

_Wendy's eyes began to water, "I know I don't deserve it. I know I fucked up, but I'm clean now!" she said pleadingly, "I just want the chance to prove that I'm better. I can be better for him... Gemma, Abel needs his Mother!"_

_Unmoved, Gemma hissed, "Abel doesn't have a Mother, remember? You signed your rights over to that awhile back."_

"_I know..but..but Jax said if I got clean.." Wendy started, but was quickly interrupted._

"_You know what you are Wendy? You're a fuckin' cockroach. You just keep crawling back out of the woodworks, don't you?" Gemma said and then smirked cruelly, " Better watch out little girl, you just might end up getting squished one of these days."_

_The ex junkie turned a shade paler at the obvious threat. "Please just tell Jax I came by Gemma." She mumbled as she quickly started up the SUV. _

_Gemma stepped back, placing her hands on her hips. "We'll see.." _

_Disappointed, Wendy quickly backed up and took off out of the Teller-Marrow lot. _

(end flashback)

Now at her desk Gemma threw down her pen with an annoyed sigh. She knew as much as she didn't want to pass the message along, she had little choice. Jax had made it crystal clear that he wouldn't tolerate interference with how he handled Abel's Mother.

Gemma worried about that situation a lot. She thought her son was too soft on the crack whore, and always had been. Now with the bitch spouting off about being clean and pulling all the right sympathy strings, it was concerning that she would somehow manage to weasel her way back into her boys' lives. Especially with Tara no longer being a real deterring factor.

The office door opened, and the new prospect Shark stuck his head in the door. A recent transfer from the Wyoming chapter of SOAMC, he couldn't have been more different than Half-Sack. Not only physically with him being short and thick with muscle, but also in personality. He walked around the club with a swagger just brimming with self assurance, so unlike Kip who had been sweetly hesitant and clumsy at times. In Gemma's opinion, the new kid was a little too sure of himself and would probably need to be brought down a peg or two. It'd happen eventually, she was just waiting for him to hit a wrong button on Clay or one of the boys.

"Boss lady, there's a cop out here wantin' to talk to you." He said as he stood in the doorway.

"Of course there is." Gemma grumbled. "Don't just stand there, let him in Shark. Let's see what those assholes are after now."

He nodded and stepped back out of the doorway allowing a familiar face to walk in.

Rolling her eyes Gemma sighed, "Oh Christ, it's just you."

"I'm not getting a very heartwarming feeling here Gemma." Police Chief David Hale said as he entered the Teller-Marrow office.

"It's the new prospect...had me thinking that the Feds were up my ass again." She murmured while grabbing a cigarette and lighting up. After taking a deep draw of smoke she asked sarcastically, "So what it is now Hale, hmm? You here to haul me in for an outstanding parking ticket?"

Tapping a thick folder against his leg, Hale just sighed. "Don't worry, your still free and clear of the law...for now."

"Good to know." She snarked. "Well..this isn't a social call, so what do you want?"

The Police Chief walked up closer to Gemma's desk and threw down the thick folder he had been holding. "Thought you could help me out with something."

Gemma lifted her eyebrow in question before grabbing the folder and pulling it toward her. Flipping it open revealed a wrinkled manila envelope, smudged with dirt and perhaps oil. Opening it up she immediately froze.

"Where the hell did you get this?" She demanded, confused at how he had come by these particular papers.

"That was brought in by one of my deputies from the scene of a car collision this morning. A 2008 Ford Mustang was blindsided at a stoplight between Holden and Main. The victim was unresponsive at the scene and THAT was recovered along with other personal effects." He leaned in closer to the desk and asked pointedly. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on?"

Gemma stubbed out her barely smoked cigarette and asked, "You know if she's ok?"

Hale sighed at the stubborn woman and answered truthfully, "I don't know. They took her to St. Thomas from the scene." He watched as Gemma stood up and gathered her purse before walking around the desk and heading toward the door.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" He asked as he watched her open the door.

Before she excited the office Gemma called over her shoulder, "Nope." With that the door closed with a bang.

SOASOASOASOASOASOASOA

"I'm trying to find someone that was brought in from a car accident. Her name is Paige.." Gemma checked the last name on the annulment papers again, "Carlisle."

The woman that was manning the desk nodded her head and said, "One moment ma'am." Then she began typing into her computer. After a few moments the hospital receptionist looked up and said, "She's been admitted up on the 4th floor."

"Thanks." Gemma murmured as she turned to find the nearest elevator.

Standing in front of the 4th floor nurses station this time she asked, "Looking for Paige Carlisle."

A young nurse standing nearby looked up from her paperwork and called over to her colleague, "That's the one they just brought up." Then she asked Gemma, "Are you family?"

Gemma chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

She nodded and then looked at the other nurse, "Call Dr. Reynolds and tell him that Mrs. Carlisle has someone here now." Then she looked back at Gemma, "I was heading down there anyway so I'll show you where her room is."

After grabbing a packaged syringe and a glass bottle of medication she came around the desk and gestured toward the hall that led to the right.

Following the blond woman as they passed several rooms Gemma asked, "She gonna' be ok?"

The nurse had now stopped in front of a room labeled 411 and answered, "The doctor will be here in a few minutes to fill you in, but I think the prognosis is good." With that she led the way through the door.

As Paige came into view laying in the hospital bed, Gemma winced at how beat up the young woman appeared. Extremely pale, she had a couple of nasty bruises along one side of her face and bandages on both her temple and right arm. Even unconscious the kid looked uncomfortable and in pain.

"Is she unconscious or asleep?" Gemma asked as the nurse moved around her patient and began the process of injecting something into the IV.

"Oh that's just the pain meds. If she were still unconscious they would have put her in ICU."

Nodding Gemma walked over to a chair nearby and sat down with a sigh. She watched as the nurse efficiently finished her tasks and then left them alone. She studied the red head who was currently still legally her daughter in law. She was a pretty thing she admitted to herself, and wondered what her story was. Showgirl living in Vegas she had told her yesterday? Gemma mentally snorted, no doubt about it, the girl DID have a story.

Her thoughts were interrupted with a short knock at the door, before a gray haired middle age man in a white coat breezed in. He looked somewhat familiar and Gemma thought perhaps she had seen him around before when she was frequent visitor there at the hospital.

He looked at Gemma and extended his hand, "Dr. Reynolds, I treated Ms. Carlisle in the ER."

She stood up and shook the offered hand before responding, "Gemma Teller-Marrow." There was a brief flash of recognition in the doctors eyes which wasn't a surprise. In Charming, most recognized Gemma either by face or name.

"So what's the damage doc?"

The doctor glanced at Paige and then back to Gemma, "She's a very lucky young lady, she took quite a hit this morning and it could have been much worse. The airbag deployed and saved her from a lot of damage, but she was struck from the passenger side and it caused her to hit the side window on her left. She has a nasty cut on her left temple around the hairline, and we currently have her under observation for a concussion. That's the biggest concern. She lost consciousness at the scene but regained it in the ER, so right now she's just sleeping."

He looked down at the clipboard and read for a moment before continuing, "Lets see...she has some bruising along her left side, two bruised ribs and a nasty burn from the seatbelt. Oh..and her right arm has twelves stitches. We had to remove glass from the wound. All in all, aside from the concussion and ribs she should heal well. Like I said, we just have to be careful of that head wound, they can be tricky."

Nodding in understanding Gemma asked, "She was on her way out of state today. You know when she'll be well enough to travel again?"

He hesitated giving her a strange look, "Well..we'll keep her here for a couple of days at least. I would say that she should be ok to travel in a week or two. I'd like to see her in a week, and we can take it from there. Is she staying with you or family while in town?"

"She staying at a hotel." Gemma said dryly without elaborating.

Dr. Greyson arched a brow at that. "She'll need to have someone stay with her when she's released. Is there anyone who can do that?"

_'Well fuck_.' She mentally sighed then said, "Yeah, I'm sure we can figure somethin' out."

Soon the doctor was heading back to the ER and Paige was still down for the count, so Gemma decided that it was probably as good a time as any to call Jax and fill him in. She hadn't talked to him since picking up Abel this morning, but at the time he'd supposedly been on his way to talk to the girl. She wondered if he'd talked to her before the accident happened.

Walking past the nurses station on her way out, she saw a familiar head of dark brown hair in a white coat hunched over a clipboard writing something out.

'_Shit_.' Gemma thought. With the morning that she'd had, it was probably best if she avoided contact with this particular person.

There was a time not too long ago that she actually would have been pleased to see Tara Knowels, but these days she was anything but. It was a rare thing for Gemma Teller- Marrow to give a anyone a second chance, but when Tara had come back into town after eleven years Gemma had eventually done just that against her better judgment. Pleased that Jax seemed to finally be happy, she had even allowed herself to grow somewhat close to the younger woman.

Tara's abandonment of Jax and Abel when they needed her the most several months ago had ruined that though, and as far as Gemma was concerned it would be a cold day in hell before she played nice with that woman again. If she'd had her way she would have run the doctor out of town by now, but once again Jax's benevolence for the women in his life had gotten in the way. He just couldn't seem to shake his feelings for the weak bitch and Gemma would never understand how he could stand to look at her these days let alone fuck her.

"Gemma?" A voice called out when she was no more than three steps past the desk.

She thought about ignoring the voice but found herself rolling her eyes and turning around anyway. "Well..well..well.. if it isn't Doctor do good." She sneered.

"What are you doing here? Is someone hurt?" Tara asked in concern.

Gemma snorted, "Wow Tara, you sound almost concerned. ."

The younger woman ignored the verbal swipe,"I haven't talked to Jax in a couple of days, did he get back from Oakland yet?"

Gemma shook her head, "You just don't get it do you? Where he goes, who he's with, when he's home from a run? All questions that you have no business askin' anymore." She leaned in close to the other woman, seriously invading her personal space. "You should have stayed gone babygirl, there's nothing left here for you anymore. Jax just doesn't need you in his life anymore." She murmured in obvious false empathy.

Tara's lips thinned in frustration before stepping back, "Actually Gemma, what goes on between me and Jax really isn't any of YOUR concern, and when he wants me to leave him alone he will tell me himself."

Gemma was fuming inside as she usually did when she ran into Tara these days. This woman had hurt her baby twice, and still continued to hurt him just by sticking around. Tara would never understand Jax's importance to the SAMCRO, or SAMCRO's importance to Jax even if she pretended to. Too weak to be the true partner that he needed, she was a liability to Jax and to an extent the Club as well.

Gemma thought, '_God, if only I could get rid of the stupid bitches in that boys life..._..'

"..."

An idea began to take form, and suddenly Gemma regarded Tara with a smirk, "Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news sweetie but your gonna' find out real soon that it's not your job to worry about him anymore. He's got someone else for that now."

Silence fell between them for a long moment as Gemma's words hit their mark.

"If you're talking about one of those crow eaters that you've been throwing at him Gemma, I'd hardly count a one night stand as..." Tara began.

"Oh that's definitely not what I'm talking about." The older woman interrupted. "You know what? I'm not going to say anything else, Jax should be the one to break it to ya."

The doctor's face was a mask of confusion as she tried to figure out what Gemma was going on about now. She knew that the woman would pretty much say anything to upset her, but something about the smug expression on her face said that there was some validity behind her words.

'_What if there is? Do I really have the right to be upset anymore_?' Tara wondered.

With a glare, she stepped away from Gemma and headed off to finish her rounds. She would call Jax later and see what was going on, but for now she had to get back to her patients.

Gemma smirked a little as she watched the younger woman take off in the other direction without saying a word. She had definitely given Tara something to chew over, now she just had to set the stage a little.

Strolling over to the nurses station she looked at the nurse behind the computer and said, "I need to talk to someone about correcting the name on my daughter-in-laws paperwork. Her name is Paige Carlisle in Room 411, but the last name should actually be Teller, T..E..L..L..E..R."

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**A/N Let me know what you guys think! Again, I promise Gemma won't be THAT bitchy throughout the whole story. Only when provoked ;)**


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